"Nintendo plays things too safe" is a common criticism we hear from people across the vast swamp of cynicism that is the internet. It is a criticism that has always struck us as a little odd, because it's common knowledge that Nintendo often performs risky Frankenstein-like experiments with its wealth of existing franchises. Just look at the sheer amount of variation across a series such as Star Fox, which has gone from on-rails 3D space battling, to adventure, to partly turn-based strategy in the space of six titles. We could make similar observations with a number of other series; remove recurring characters from the 2D and 3D Metroid titles and they might as well be different franchises entirely.
Metroid: Other M was the product of one of Nintendo's more recent experiments. Samus Aran was torn from the loving arms of Retro Studios in order for her next spacefaring adventure to be partly outsourced to Team Ninja (of Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive fame). The end result was a game that was a stylish but bizarre mashup of the Metroid series' 2D and 3D gameplay, with a much heavier focus on story. Despite the amount of hype surrounding the game, Other M's 'greatest' achievement was that it successfully polarised the Metroid fan base upon release. While many fans enjoyed the fleshed out Metroid Universe and flashy melee combat, many others came to resent Samus' apparent transformation from a strong-willed and tough female protagonist to a seemingly submissive, whiny girl.
It seems clear that a return to the style of Metroid: Other M would probably be a very ill-advised move on Nintendo's part, and though we'd absolutely love another instalment in the Metroid Prime sub-series, Retro Studios may be moving on to different projects. So — given Nintendo is sometimes quite insistent on trying new things — where could this take the Metroid series in the future? The answer has been staring us in the face for over a decade. Horror.
Think back to when you played Metroid Fusion all those years ago (and if you haven't played it, download it on the eShop or buy it on eBay as soon as you can). Remember the SA-X? Remember the sheer amount of tension that small collection of pixels caused simply by walking menacingly into a silent room? Nintendo was able to make you feel so on edge and so helpless with the SA-X with what appeared to be relatively little effort. It was really quite admirable and the SA-X remains one of the Metroid series' most memorable villains for that very reason.
Such tension wasn't exclusive to the 2D Metroid titles. Using the skills it had honed while creating Prime's Tallon IV, Retro Studios successfully crafted another mysterious and exotic alien world called Aether for the sequel, Metroid Prime 2: Echoes. Only — thanks to a dimensional fissure — Aether had an 'evil' twin known as Dark Aether. This place existed as a twisted, unholy shadow of the original where everything — even the air — was hostile. Gone was any whimsical sense of adventure and exploration that fans of the original Prime may have had; you had no idea what was lurking in those shadows and, for the most part, could barely leave the atmospheric safe zones to find out. The threats came to you and there wasn't much you could do about it.
Now, imagine an entire Metroid game built around making you feel tense, fearful and helpless as you did the first time you encountered the SA-X clone or exploring Dark Aether. Metroid has always had all the elements of a potentially great horror title, but it's just never collated them in such a way that would make it one. Narrow corridors, creepy ambient soundtracks, grotesque creatures, abandoned facilities, strange environments and the occasional jump scare are all staple features of most titles in the series. However, more often than not you've got an arm cannon filled to the brim with plasma to dispatch threats and more energy tanks than you can shake a Dachora at, so you seldom think that you're in any sort of danger; even the vulnerability in Dark Aether is softened after a short while. Focusing these established elements more towards horror and reducing how self-assured players can get when they're in Samus' shoes could make for a very appealing experience.
It's interesting to note that Nintendo may have had a horror-themed Metroid title on the mind in the past. Dedicated Metroid fans will know about Metroid: Dread, a title that cropped up a fair few times in release schedules around 2005-2006, but quietly disappeared (but not before Retro Studios made a cheeky reference to it in Metroid Prime 3). The very title "Dread" implies...well...dread. We know virtually nothing of the game but it's certainly possible Nintendo knew the merits of a more horror-oriented Metroid title. Sadly Dread has been officially shelved, but who knows what the future has in store.
Though we're unsure of Nintendo's horror-related intentions, those of other developers and their franchises seem pretty clear. While big names such as Resident Evil and Dead Space have fully or partly renounced their horror ways — much to our displeasure — others are determined to keep the genre alive and screaming. The Creative Assembly want to undo Gearbox's mistake with a definitive Alien experience in the form of Alien: Isolation, while Shinji Mikami's The Evil Within promises to be what contemporary Resident Evil titles should have been. It seems there's a renewed interest in making people jump out of their seats, so would it be so bad to join that bandwagon?
In a world where horror titles are creeping back into fashion, HD Nintendo gaming now exists and half the Metroid fan base needs something fresh to forget Other M, soon would be a perfect time to hear about Samus' next venture. Horror is a genre Nintendo hasn't dabbled in a lot and we think the Metroid series — with all its aforementioned elements — is just begging for a scary makeover. Do you agree?
Comments 106
....Let's not and say we did. lol
Weren't you all scared by Metroid: Other M already? (Or maybe you liked it, in this case, you were happy, and enjoyed the game, which is swelltastic)
If done well, this could be awesome. But only if done well.
I would love another game that captured the tension of Metroid Fusion, but it should not be a straight-up horror game. It would be best if there were moments of exploration, but times where you find things you regret....
system shock 2? Haven't played it, but it sounds something like this.
I actually kind of like this idea. I just started playing Prime 2 again and I forgot how dark and gritty it was. Especially when you read the GF troopers logs about the others going insane and turning on each other. What they would have to get right is actually scaring people. Dead Space, IMO, did it wrong in a horror aspect. Things are creepy sure, but as soon as you realize how much of a badd ass you are, nothing is scary anymore and that could be a big issue if Metroid went horror. F.E.A.R. on the other hand combined shooters and horror perfectly. That game goes from making you feel like a total bad ass mowing down the enemies in the a gun fight, to feeling helpless and running for your life whenever Alma came around. If Metroid did that, the horror elements could be very successful. Or maybe if they did a spin off game that didnt feature Samus as the main character, but maybe a GF trooper. That could be really cool.
I say nay. I think Metroid has always had the right amount of tension and "horror" elements. In fact, some of the more memorable Metroid moments are in part rooted in being understated or nebulous, allowing players to draw their own conclusions--which have the potential to be more suspenseful than whatever mere shock value is lobbed at players. The story elements and themes of Fusion, in and of themselves, were unsettling enough; taking them to extreme, I feel, would have actually lessened their impact.
I am a bit biased, as I have little interest in the "horror" genre of video games. But if I wanted to play such games, I already have plenty of options. I don't want to see a franchise I enjoyed playing rehashed into something I don't because it's "back in fashion."
Great read but IDK I wasn't convinced I think you're confusing tension with fear, because while I did feel tense in Prime 2 and Fusion I did not feel any fear and the tension only came from the fact that they were tough not scary. I wouldn't like the series to focus on horror only because I feel like the series shouldn't focus on switching genres because it'll give the impression nintendo just doesn't know what to do with the series anymore and Dead Space already did it so yeah....
I don't think Metroid games need 'more' horror elements. Every entry since Super Metroid had its share.
Super Metroid had the Sunken Ship, Prime had the lower Phazon Mines, Echoes had Dark Aether, Corruption had the G.F.S. Valhalla (that one was legitimately scary), Fusion had the SA-X parts, and Other M had the third-person investigation parts (well, some at least).
Only Zero Mission and Hunters came a bit short.
So yeah, I wouldn't mind a stronger focus on horror elements, just not more than Valhalla, okay?
Been thinking the same thing lately. Great editorial.
Horror shmoror.
I would have to disagree. Tension is great and should be used yet woth Metroid the exploration is what makes it so great
The scares in the metroid universe worked because they weren't the default, but the exception: there was an adventure, an exploration, and part of it was scary and challenging not because of its script, but because of its settings and surroundings.
Keep Metroid as a platformery, adventurey, shooty game and make a new IP for a horror game and/or resurrect Eternal Darkness. Metroid is already at the right level of "horror". There should be bits that might scare people and get your heart pumping but you're a badass alien killing, bounty hunter. There should be nothing that scares Samus except the thought of Space Pirates turning Metroids into a weapon. All the tense/scary bits of the Metroid series have come naturally so I don't want or need them to change it up.
Metroid, a novel by Stephen King
No kidding about the SA-X. It freaked me out when it looked at me. I was like "What. The. F%^$!". Horror? I say go for it. FANTASTIC idea.
@everyoneelsesofar So, tension, but not horror?
Here's how the legend of Zelda and horror could be a perfect fit: More ReDeads (the wind waker kind). T_T
YES YES YES YES YES YES!
As someone who's not too big on the Metroid series, I wouldn't mind seeing a more horror-oriented focus for a future Metroid title. But I'd like the focus to be on a sense of helplessness; I wouldn't be too scared if I had an awesome weapon that could that could annihilate any threat with just a bit of skill and patience. I don't see Nintendo doing that, though. Having that sense of helplessness could make Samus feel weak, and enough people were upset (to put it lightly) about her being weak in Other M; I doubt Nintendo is willing to divide the fanbase again, especially given their current situation.
My favorite part of the Prime series was in 3, when you visited the "ghost ship" that was just floating out in space destroyed with dead things floating around. Creepy stuff.
EDIT: Here's what I'm talking about: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWrsUDUW98Y#t=02m38s
And yes, SPOILER ALERT for anyone that hasn't played Prime 3.
@silent How about a whole game filled with shadow temples? I think it would be awesome if someone made a 3rd oracle game based on the triforce of courage that would be a horror centric game.
I don't want "horror" like in the usual horror games, but I do think the experience in Metroid is better when Samus is alone (no Hunters and no Galactic Federation, no one else they might create either).
That actually sounds pretty baddonkey. Make it happen Narntendo.
People have been saying this for years. I think the first two Prime games hit the atmosphere perfectly. I want to see more of that.
Want even less people to buy a Metroid game? Then make it a horror game...
Horror is a niche, and Metroid games are not that popular and even I can admit that with Metroid being my favorite franchise.
I love the idea stated in this article. A Metroid space horror game would be delicious. [Hopefully it doesn't undermine what I said when I mention that I actually enjoyed Other M]. It is possible that it may harm the commercial success of the game but I think Nintendo needs to reach out to gamers of all persuasions at this time... if you catch my drift.
Metroid is all about atmosphere and isolation not horror if they went down that route I probably wouldn't buy it.
A horror Metroid game in the RE spirit will never happen. Metroid games already have a lot of tension and suspense, but I want the exploration and loneliness of being lost on an alien world. Is that scary, yea. But I don't want a dead space clone. I just want a new Metroid game. an old school 2d 32bit would be just fine. Im loving Fusion, I never had a advance so its nice to finally play it. its the only Metroid I hadn't.
NIEN NIEN A THOUSAND TIMES NIEN It wouldn't work horror in my opinion is "OH MY GOD THIS HUGE MONSTER THING POPPED UP IN MY FACE AND IM COMPLETELY DEFENSELESS RUNNNNN " In metroid if a giant monster thing pops up in my face I shoot a missile at it with my arm cannon (I felt so American writing that xD)
Nah man, Metroid needs to be a FPS with big explosive set-piece moments, and 12 vs 12 online multiplayer with weapon unlocks and teabagging.
Metroid 2 was THE definitive survival horror game. You're in a dark cave, with the ambient music playing, then BAM! A weird, mutated Metroid comes out and... yes. Metroid has always been the closest Nintendo has to horror.
@Mizore Agreed. I like the tone and setting, but the direction Other M tried to take it in this regard was just okay and I prefer if it is less overtly horror. Metroid has its own tone. I'd hate to lose it to something less sophisticated.
I would support this as long as it didn't get cheap. I enjoy horror when the environment or story create the dread and not cheap visuals. Some of my all-time favorite games are Resident Evil 4 and Bioshock, and both do an excellent job at creating a sense of "I'm not going to make it to the next area alive!!!!!!" At some point the alien creatures did not come across as dangerous in the Prime series. But the Prime games were great and did a lot of other stuff spot on.
@FlyingKickPunch I actually do think that the next metroid, if played from a first-person perspective, needs 12 vs. 12 online multiplayer.
@Ryno
I'm sorry, but Jim Sterling calls BS on your statement:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOi5aDQKrYc
@AJ_Lethal: I'm sorry, but who is Jim Sterling?
Metroid already has the right amount of horror & adventure in it..
Just make a normal Metroid game for the Wii U...use Metroid Blast's aiming system in a metroid game and we're set.
@Ryno Your one and only god.
Don't agree. Metroid should not be horror. Tension, yes. Horror, no. They already have the formula nailed.
Metroid as a horror title sounds a bit much. While the idea sounds interesting, I would prefer either a new franchise (unlikely since people don't like to buy new stuff) or resurrecting one of their obscure franchises with a completely new horror theme (something extreme like they did with the Kid Icarus Uprising reboot).
Personally, I would prefer Nintendo to drop a couple million on Shadow of the Eternals and make it Wii U exclusive since its already started and would make a nice horror niche title for the console. It would be a relatively cheap investment and would be an excellent addition for all the whiners who complain about the lack of proper "hardcore" games. Of course I also think it would be a good idea for them to create a hardcore corner of the company which focuses on more adult themed games like Last of Us to broaden their appeal. They could focus that division on working with indie developers to craft smaller inexpensive projects that expand from the normal family friendly titles they make. As long as they brand it correctly (kind of like how Disney had Miramax to put out stuff like Dogma and Pulp Fiction), it would go a long way to expanding Nintendo's appeal to the hardcore who normally complain about them. Just a thought.
@AJ_Lethal: OK, we are done here.
I think a horror metroid would be great!!! Count me in.
Nope. Good idea but anything more horror and the series would become niche and would deviate from the adventure setting of Metroid. I would like some horror but not as the primary genre. The SA-X is a perfect example: tense, scary but not full on horror. Now I think I better play Metroid Fusion again.
Metroid is already a better horror game than any of them out there, and it doesnt have to change at all. Just because there aren't a lot of jumpy moments doesnt mean it isnt horror-filled. Atmosphere, the music, and the feeling of isolation are all better accomplished in the Metroid games than any other horror series i've ever played. It has just the right amount of tension without always resorting to an overly done jump moment.
Also, FPS Horror games are some of the least interesting games out there. The only thing they do is try to gross you out with blood or shock you with some kind of story twist that usually makes no sense. That genre became uninteresting years ago, so if Metroid is going to take a different route, thats not the one i hope it goes down.
I've always considered Metroid Prime 2: Echoes to be my favorite Metroid. I'm all for tension, but Metroid and straight up horror doesn't sound very appealing.
Do this Nintendo and please get over trying to create your own multiplayer Halo-Gears of War-Call of Duty franchise. Like what someone mentioned above, I love Samus when she's alone in the universe and fending for herself.
Great make it happen Nintendo! I dont understand some people: "we want same old style metroid games" why dont you play those old ones then? This series needs something new! I love metroid games and new things are welcomed! Its nice to play a new game which is really a new one, not a copy of old one...
By the way, i think that if you have an adventure on the other planet where are new life forms which are attacking, you can be sure you are on your own there and you have to survive and kill those monsters.. Sounds like an space horror to me..
… Metroid has always been fairly horror based.
A more horror based Metroid could work, and I've been thinking about such an idea recently.
But first I'm going to discuss how Metroid has done horror so far. As some have already said, Metroid's horror is tension based. Either the haunting eeriness of the music and environments, or the tension and panic created by just managing to save yourself from death.
The name of the Missing Game, Dread, does not describe shock horror, but the feeling of impending horror and doom.
The problem with making Metroid straight into horror is partly due to the heroine. For straight horror, we need a less powerful heroine, one that can be powerless. The problem with Other M by the sounds of it, was that it tried to change her.
My idea would be to bring in a new heroine, who is, for many intents and purposes, a younger version of Samus. One who can start off fairly powerless, but brave. One who can grew stronger over the course of the game, so that the horrors at the start of game can be returned to and overcome by the end of the game.
It would still be about exploration, but sometimes the hurdle that would prevent progress in an area would be a threat. Though the hard thing about such an approach would how to tell the player when the right and wrong time to tackle a threat.
A more horror based Metroid would have to be just that, "More", not Entirely. Where the game would be part haunting environments and high tension, and part "magic of exploration and discovery".
Keep it like Fusion, then we'll talk. LOve that game when I played it on my 3DS creepy as hell and oh so perfect.
A grisly Dead Space type with a Metroid design sounds like a winner!! Wish they'd shock us and give us an adult game. Had my Wii u 18 months and only adult themed one has been ZombiU.
yeah...nah.
I just want to see a Metroid title that represents the best parts of the series so far, in HD. Plus the T-Rating must stay as far as Nintendo's concerned, and anything with horror elements would push the rating into M territory. Besides, there are literally TONS of games out there that are doing horror and its getting stale. I think a Metroid Prime style game would actually be a breath of fresh air in the current climate.
If they want to do horror (why not? everyone else is, right?), then they should create a separate IP..
Do Naughty Dawg keep churning out the same thing???? They did .... until they took a bold step and bravely created a new IP ...... TLOA ... was only the biggest success of last year!!! My most beloved game of all time now prob!!!!! Come on Ninty
.... take a chance.... Wii U needs a game like that.... a Last of Us/Metroid mash up exclusive would shift some units.
Meh. Also, Metroid wasn't "torn" from Retro. Retro wanted a break, Nintendo outsourced Metroid, and Retro worked on other things.
That's partially why I don't understand people's expectations for Retro to create another Metroid. They decided to work on other things(DK, MK).
The same misunderstanding is apparent for Rare. Rare sold themselves to Microsoft. It's a mutual thing.
Turn the arm cannon into a vacuum and lock Samus in a haunted mansion. GoTY! ;P
I haven't read the whole article (no time), but Metroid shouldn't turn into a survival horror! Some horror elements are nice (like the zombie-like creatures of Metroid Fusion or Metroid Prime 2), but it should stay a sci-fi adventure game at heart!
metroid should have moments of horror and creepiness like the metroid prime log when u scan it in its first phase and also with some creepy songs and some scare tactics like something coming from nowhere
Metroid has room for horror but should remain focused on primarily action and exploration. Granted I don't care for 3D Metroid, but it's a shame you didn't take the opportunity to give a shoutout to Renegade Kid's first person horror games as a point of comparison.
I'd definitely play a horror game set in the metroid universe. A federation base is taken offline and you and your squad are sent to investigate. Most of you die and you try to set up a warning signal to get other ships to avoid the base, knowing they will just be over run by the metroids.
They'd have to be very careful with this. One of the reasons I play Metroid and not Castlevania is because it's sci-fi as opposed to horror. Now admittedly they could tone down the Halo style sci-fi seen in Other M and Prime 3, but they should focus on spookiness, rather than accentuate the horror. They've got the tone right so many times in the past - all they need to do is return to that.
I dont know maybe its just me but when i think about survival horror and metriod combined i just think of dead space.
I agree with this! When I was playing the original Dead Space I kept thinking how cool it'd be if there was a similar game, but with a Metroid theme. They did a great job with the exploration and backtracking mechanics.
metroid games are fun yes, but we really need more horror-alien-sci-fi stuff thats rated M and for adults. and maybe a rated M metroid game would be cool but i dont think its the way to go. i LOVE dead space, resident evil, house of the dead, and those type of games. they are probably my favorite kind. but there is a major insane shortage of those types on their current systems. so i dont think they should make a metroid horror title, i think they should put out some new dead space type sci-fi horror titles, and a new resident evil, and in 3d of course!
I don't think horror is the way to go for Metroid, there's a lack of great action-adventure games on current Nintendo consoles so sticking with that setup for Metroid would be best. I personally don't like horror games but those who I know that really like horror want more great SEGA horror games. Don't see that happening due to the mass focus on Sonic (he is SEGA's biggest selling point after all) but still they hold out hope.
@Kaze_Memaryu Im surprised... out of all of those examples Valhalla was the least scary.
I LOVED the tension brought by SA-X bit i dont think a metroid game oriented around horror isnt favorable. Its predominantly an adventure game which can be tense. I think we could use some more apprehensive moments however
Wasn't Metroid inspired by the first Alien-movie?
Both Metroid Fusion and Super Metroid were adventure-horror games. I've always seen Metroid as dark bleak games, not flashy-action-melodramas.
No need for the "survival" part though. Horror-adventure alone is just fine.
METROID has always been Nintendo's 'ALIEN' franchise, and as such should be kinda scary. Not all out horror, but filled with tension and dread. I think all METROID titles have an element of this.
I own and love Metroid Other M. It brings back the side scroll but keeps first person shooter and has 3d characteristics. I'm confused as to why most people hated it.
Very few games, even ones that fit wholly in the "horror" genres, have had me as on edge as the SA-X sections of Metroid Fusion. Fusion's terrific sound design (definitely a game that benefits from a quality pair of headphones) and Samus' utter helplessness against it - the best you could hope to do most of the time was to hide and hope SA-X just went away - seem like simple things, but they both go such long way toward establishing tension and dread throughout the experience.
@Grumblevolcano Not sure Sonic is any more. (Football Manager / Total War). Some reason they seem to be sticking with Aliens as well of all the ones to choose they chose that one.
Metroid needs a break.
Tension yes. Horror, no. I don't think any of us want to see Samus have her limbs torn off.
As well as the mood of a Metroid game would fit for a horror game, I don't think it would go well. Tension would be neat in a post apocaliptic planet that is being ransacked by space pirates and beast, but horror would be a automatic no buy for me.
Yes, yes, yes. I wouldn't be surprised if Retro's new game was Prime 4 with Dread as the subtitle. Metroid Prime 4: Dread. It looks good.
This is a strange time for this article to pop up because I just finished the first Prime, and I'm replaying the second when I get a chance. To me, I think that there's already a perfect level of atmospheric tension in the games. As you progress, you build up your arsenal to the point where you don't need to feel scared, and I love that. I'm not partial to horror games in the first place, but I'd rather play a mediocre FPS Metroid with slight horror sequences in it (as they've done. Nightmare X, the SA-X, the freakin' Chozo Ghosts) than not play a horror based Metroid at all. The thing about the Aether in the second one is that eventually you have to face that, but you're not hopeless. You grow past that eventually, and that's powerful. I love that. Don't make the entire game scary. That ruins it. Just make the mood tense, maybe put one or two scares in it, that's that. Don't base the game around jump scares. When the dead Space Pirates fall into the water in the Frigate, it makes it tense, but not scary. That's what I think they should continue to do.
I don't want Metroid to become an outright horror series; Its got its own style.
I liked that there was a creepiness and sense of horror that lingered around in most of the games, (always loved how you'd only hear Samus' metallic footsteps occasionally in the Prime games, without any music) it was kept at a minimum, yet was still very effective.
I say leave the series tone the way it is. Its something no other franchise out there has really replicated; save for added gore and grotesque imagery.
@Bliquid
How about no? That would be terrible.
This idea frightens me (ha-ha). I am new to the Metroid series, having just bought Super Metroid and Fusion, and I REALLY like it. The thing is, the series has a personality of its own. My main fear with this is the fact I wouldn't want to play it. The horror genre disinterests me, along with not liking being scared. This idea, though it could work with the correct circumstances. Metroid has a formula and a way that it works. Though innovation is good, this much change might turn people like me away.
Seriously Narntendo Life. Why did you guys strewth bad@$$ if I didn't even write the actual word! It's not like if little kids use this site. T_T
Omg! No! Tension and suspense are one thing - survival horror would be different, like a thriller movie versus a horror movie. The Game, Jack Reached, Bourne Identity, Taken, The hunted, a good action thriller. Metroid is not like SAW or a Massacre movie.
As a game the most logical step is to give it some multiplayer. Regardless if it's third or first person it needs to step away from the isolated main experience and have a mp component.
Horror. No thanks...
A slight horror vibe is already included in the series but I wouldn't mind seeing it being taken further. I doubt that would make the series more popular though as action is what mainstream audience wants. And a great multiplayer. Personally I would totally ignore it like every other multiplayer but it must be there for the masses that like that kind of stuff.
@jakysnakydx Haha, not the first time I heard it. Quite a few people didn't consider the Valhalla creepy, as opposed to me. I don't know how anyone can take it the same way as Orpheon (a ship? Okay let's do this), but to each his own.
I have never played a Metroid game, though have downloaded Super Metroid on the eshop. Though I am a sissy and would probably piss my pants I agree Nintendo could and should offer a different experience to the light cheery entertainment me normally expect.
@King_Johobo We* sorry i'm a tad intoxicated.
Yeah, I'd love more of a horror vibe. That doesn't mean gore, to me, it means a more intense feeling of being alone and encountering strange or scary things on the way.
I remember being quite scared of the X in Fusion, btw. But I was much younger then.
I'd love a greater move towards horror or at the very least attempts to really push the tension up. When I played Metroid 2 I used to be terrified of the zeta metroids, and the oppressive ambiance of SR388 in general.
Do you guys remember the Phendrana research base with the Thermal visor and the metroid tanks in Prime 1?
Imagine getting trapped in the dark in somewhere like that and only being able to see things in the direction you pointed the gamepad.
The gamepad is a fantastic fit for survival games and I want to see Metroid capitalise on that!
@unrandomsam It's hard to tell, PS3/360/PC Sonic Generations did extremely well and I don't think Sonic Lost World and Sonic Boom are good indicators as they're only on Wii U and 3DS.
@Bliquid
I know what sarcasm is. For a year in school, anyone who didn't know my name would call me "the sarcastic kid". I am well aware that you were joking, so was I. There's no reason to be rude.
Zelda is scary in its own way, can't count how many times I was shipments in my chair every time something in the ocean popped out at me. OOT was also creepy from time to time.
@Bliquid
Maybe one day, you can be a sarcasm master like me, young grasshopper.
All joking aside, it's fine. I wasn't offended, I just thought that it was a little strange to be called out like that.
What if the next Metroid game had it's own Plaza and Street-Pass just like other games?
Samus is too overpowered for a full horror game to work, but I'm all for darker and deeper atmospheres more in line with Echoes, Fusion and Prime Hunters.
@Lasermaster123 The series is already very niche. May as well attract a new audience with an M rating or horror setting...
Great read! YES, why not?
I really liked (the most) of Other M - though I do see the points of the one's who don't - the more 'lonely-wanderer/horror/shocker' would certainly be 'refreshing'.
@I-U
You have a very good point there.
Thing is Nintendo have almost zero experience outside their standard for games, which would be a real concern making a Metroid game in the likes of Dead Space, which for me is the perfect read of a Metroid game as Survival Horror. I said it before and will say it again, most games we used to love haven't evolved very well. And that's why games like Alan Wake, Dead Space, Batman Arkham games, Devil May Cry, Tomb Raider, Assassin's Creed, Uncharted, The Last Of Us have become such huge success, because they are filling the void left by those great Nintendo (and some others) games we used to love and never evolved into something more mature or simply something new. And I must be honest, I don't miss any of those classics so much, because I learned to live without them since Nintendo may never release them in a more current format, also I don't know if Nintendo could do better than these new games which were built upon the legacy of those classics, but didn't have the pressure and responsibility to be exactly what those games once were. Dead Space is the most thrilling Metroid experience I've ever had without having the name Metroid on the title screen. Alan Wake is the most amazing haunted house adventure that Luigi's Mansion could never be. Batman is both Symphony and Metroid at their best. The whole core of Tomb Raider is pure Zelda. And that's because all these games were made by people who probably once had Nintendo classics as their favorite and best games, but after a while, the very lack of those games led these people to imagine and ask what if these games would have evolved and grew up, what would they have ever become? And some bets really paid off in these cases.
I would be all in for a Metroid and survival horror blend, but I don't think Nintendo would really have the balls to do so. They are way too focused on what they were in the past and are always trying to figure out how to replicated the success of the same old formula with a few twists into their new consoles. The proof of that is A Link Between Worlds, which, by the way, is amazing, but if you think, it is the same Super NES game with twist. Nintendo is actually good on doing that, and people seem to like it, and Nintendo fans are die-hard classic aficionados, so it seems right to Nintendo never mess with the original formula and make the same game over and over again. Maybe this the Nintendo magic, knowing their games will never change.
Yes please. If a Metroid horror title was made I would buy it immediately.
What's wrong with a return to the gameplay of "Other M?" It's just the story elements with which some people have issues. Team Ninja did an excellent job with the gameplay (well, other than the few times you were required to scan something).
I've never played other M, It looks fun! My brother hates it though...He's always been into the Metroid Prime series so He disliked the transition. I (Having never played MP) Think it looks Pretty sweet.
I've never made the leap into a horror game, but I'd definitely do it for a game based on one of Nintendo's IP's. Metroid could work well with it, too. I just hope I don't have to scan everything. I'd rather not miss something, then go back to the beginning to do it all over again.
Not sure about that. Horror is fairly niche, and for a lot of fans, after other M, I'd say it'd be nice to just have another metroid. Metroid builds tension very well. There are certain parts of the game that work very well for that. It gives the game a nice amount if variation at points. Having it all horror based could be a little overkill. A lot of the time the best horror games work because the character is very vulnerable, so vulnerable you can barely retaliate to things. Maybe if she was out of her suit it could work, or had no way of attacking. I just think it's fine the way it is. No need to make the whole game like a sa-x section.
Not more horror, but push it a little more with the "scarier" and darker side surprises. Incredible audio will be a must. Have the Environment have A.I. to react to what the player does as far as environment destructibility. Example: If Samus creates a seemingly "random/useless" hole with a bomb or missile, next time she passes through, have something in that hole that is not to happy about their house being tampered with. This would give each player a semi-more unique experience as they go through the game.
I support this. Should have been done long ago.
Other M even teased with those little over-the shoulder scenes that didn't amount to anything.
@JaxonH
Exactly.
Thinking about it, Metroid Prime 3 also had some elements in it's climax that could be twisted into a form or horror too. When you went to tackle the source of Phazon and became overloaded, you still had your powers, but that power was killing you and you couldn't do a thing about. You had to constantly burn it or you would die. Even you're ship betrayed you. Being powerful, yet helpless at the same time an interesting angle that was unsettling.
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